Callinan blamed for smear as garda whistleblower McCabe is vindicated

Martin Callinan was part of a “campaign of calumny” against Sergeant Maurice McCabe, the Disclosures Tribunal ruledNIALL CARSON/PA

Martin Callinan, the former garda commissioner, has been excoriated for smearing and denigrating Sergeant Maurice McCabe in the third interim report of the Disclosures Tribunal.

The inquiry was established to investigate claims that garda chiefs orchestrated a smear campaign, including false sex abuse claims, against the whistleblower — a scandal that almost led to the collapse of the government last year. Mr Justice Peter Charleton praised the integrity and fortitude of Sergeant McCabe and said he “had the interests of the people of Ireland uppermost in his mind” at all times.

The tribunal accepted the explanation of Frances Fitzgerald, the former justice minister, in relation to her knowledge of the garda legal strategy at the O’Higgins Commission. It said her decision to resign last November…

Want to read more?

Subscribe now and get unlimited digital access on web and our smartphone and tablet apps, free for your first month.